Although perhaps not associated with UCs, we should note the death of Sir Jeffrey Tate overnight. His achievements are a testament to his strength of character, overcoming a lifelong infirmity. As many on UC will know, he was, in turn, conductor of the ROHCG, ECO and Hamburg SO, and he will be sadly missed.
His list of recordings and broadcasts includes maybe a fair amount of moderately out-of-the-way stuff (not all of it post-1915, though his recording of Sir Arnold Bax's 3 pieces for small orchestra probably fits in with UC), actually, if one counts (I would) Wagner's Columbus Overture for example. (Though unlike other conductors, he did conduct quite a lot of English and German modern in addition to the classics- doesn't bother me, but yes, while associated with unknown composers/music, not associated with Unknown Composers in _our_ sense...)
I remember him very well in 1991 when I had the pleasure of assisting for about 6 weeks in a production of Strauss's "Intermezzo" at the Geneva Grand Théâtre. Besides being in charge of conducting piano reherasals on Jeffrey's "bad days" I was also a prompt (all singer's cues were to be given!) and a separate répétiteur of those difficult spoken passages. The production had the great - and unforgettable - Inga Nielsen in the title role. Jeffrey was a detail fanatic, he could improve this (not all too great) score with a lot of color and wit. The famous Skat scene in the second act became a nightmare for us all, since the stage director was a real Bavarian, a renowned theatre director and a Skat fanatic himself. He was the only crew member condidering this opera a masterwork... Oskar Hillebrand was the baritone and Herbert Lippert the tenor. The famous Ernst Gutstein (another Skat fanatic) got the part of the Justizrat - at that time he was 67 years old...
After one rehearsal I showed Jeffrey the score of Respighi's "La primavera", which I was studying at that time in view of my Marco Polo recording. He looked trough a few pages and said that I was totally crazy - such a thing he never would conduct.
Very interesting. His Elgar symphonies are wonderfully ripe and romantic in feel.
Although the singers are, in my opinion, not all that ideal, Tate's recording of "Hänsel und Gretel" is one of the best!
I had the luck to hear Jeffrey Tate conducting in my city around 40 times in the span of twenty years.
Mostly it was mainstream repertoire. But not always . He often conducted works relatively unsung for the country (for example much Elgar: Symphony n.1, Falstaff, Cockaigne, Introduction and Allegro, the Cello and the Violin Concerto). Or relatively unsung in relation to the composer: for instance R.Strauss' Four Interludes from Intermezzo; Tchaicovskj The Tempest.
He even conducted Butterworth's A Shropshire Lad.
Next week he should have conducted in my city again Elgar's Violin Concerto (with Vilde Frang).